News: Nine security forces killed in attack near Kumer refugee camp

Addis Abeba –At least nine government security forces were killed and several others injured in an attack on a security post near the Kumer refugee camp in the West Gondar Zone of Ethiopia’s Amhara region on 17 July, 2024, according to eyewitness reports to the BBC.

Two refugees from the Kumer camp, which primarily houses Sudanese nationals, informed the BBC that, in addition to the fatalities, several other security personnel were injured in the attack. The witnesses also reported that a refugee child was wounded during the incident.

Sudan Tribune further corroborated the attack, citing witnesses who reported that an armed group attacked Ethiopian Federal Police forces in the Kumer area at dawn, resulting in the deaths of nine security personnel.

Following the attack, refugees reported to the BBC that defense forces were deployed to the area.

The attack takes place against a backdrop of increasing instability in the region.The Amhara region, where the refugee camps are located, has been the epicenter of an ongoing militarized conflict involving government forces and armed groups, which has swept through large parts of the region since August 2023.

In May 2024, the UNHCR reported that nearly 1,000 Sudanese refugees left the Kumer and Awlala refugee sites in the Amhara region due to security concerns and inadequate services.

Refugees who had previously fled the camps reported experiences of attacks, robberies, and extortion by militias. Many sought safety along main roads and near local security posts.

In response to the situation, the UNHCR has begun relocating Sudanese refugees to a new settlement near Assosa in the Benishangul-Gumuz region of Ethiopia.

To date, 2,600 refugees have been transferred from the Kurmuk crossing center to this new location. The UNHCR plans to accommodate up to 12,000 refugees at this site in the coming months. AS